Let It Snow!
by Jordali
Summary: Rick is determined to get Kate's holiday spirit back.
1. The Weather Outside Is Frightful

**Hello Everyone! I know I'm a little early for the season but I just couldn't help it. I got this idea and like any good college student ran with it to avoid doing some homework. Lol. Hope you enjoy.**

**It was brought to my attention that I made a small mistake about Lanie and coffee so thats all that has been changed in this chapter. **

The first snow of the season had long since fallen on the streets of New York. Dirty piles lined the streets and slush rested in the streets and cracks of the sidewalk. Even with all the Christmas decorations the city seemed darker than ever as Kate gazed out her window at her beloved city. The coffee in her hands and her breath began to fog up her window. Kate made her way back to her couch. She was on call this weekend but there was no need for her to be at the precinct yet. She looked around her sparsely decorated apartment, she loved the Christmas season but since her mother it had lost its appeal and the events of the past year or so still weighted heavily in her heart, she had little desire to show her spirit. Her mind drifted for a few more minutes before a chill shook through her small frame. Putting her mug down she grabbed the blanket off the back of her couch and pulled it around her. Soft music played in the background and Kate let her thoughts wander again before falling asleep.

The knocking at her door woke Kate up from her nap, then she recognized the buzzing coming from her phone. The display read Castle.

"Castle?" She answered both her phone and the door.

"Kate! Why didn't you answer your phone?"

"I was asleep," he didn't say anything, "and it was on vibrate."

"Oh. Well there's a body."

"What? Why didn't you start with that?" He just shrugged his shoulders while Kate went about getting ready to leave for the crime scene.

"Beckett, where are your decorations?"

"Huh? Oh, I don't have any." She said grabbing her purse. Castle had already grabbed her coat and helped her into it.

**Crime Scene:**

"Finally! Do you know how long I've been out here?" Lanie scolded her friend.

"Sorry. I'll buy you tea and a bearclaw."

"Apology accepted."

"What have we got?"

"Female, 25. Name's Jessica LeCormick according to id," Ryan quickly spouted off. Kate nodded then turned her attention to Lanie.

"Victim appears to have no outward physical trauma and I didn't see any puncture marks either. I won't have cause of death till I get her back to the morgue. I'd say that she died sometime between 10 and 12 last night though."

"Thanks Ryan, Esposito see if anyone saw anything," they nodded and headed into the closest building. Kate pulled her jacket closer as the wind picked up. A few rogue snowflakes fell from the sky as they made their way back to Kate's car.

**The Precinct/Morgue:**

They shook the snow that had fallen on them on their walk into the precinct off. Rick made a beeline to the break room returning to her side shortly after with two mugs of coffee. Kate wrapped her cold hands around her mug savoring some of its warmth. They were silent as they regained feeling in their body from the cold.

Kate spoke first, " Jessica's mother should be in shortly." Castle nodded his acknowledgement and then began filling out the murder board. Ryan and Esposito returned shortly after the interview with Jessica's mother had finished with not much else to add. So far they had nothing to go off of at least till Lanie called with cause of death.

It was hours later that Lanie did finally call. Kate and Rick headed down to talk to her. Kate placed the tea and bearclaw she promised Lanie down near the ME's bent head.

"Kate, Castle," she greeted than drank deeply from the tea, "Cause of death was suffocation."

"She didn't fight back?" Castle asked looking at the vic's hands.

"With the amount of alcohol in her system even if she was awake there was no way she would have been able to fight off an attacker."

"Looks like we need to have a chat with the party's host." Kate said looking at Rick.

**The Precinct:**

"What party?" Amy asked.

"We talked to Jessica's mother. We know she went to your house for a party and was suffocated and dumped in an alley." Kate said calmly.

"Is that any way to treat a friend?" Rick added.

Tears were pouring down Amy's cheeks, "What? No. I didn't throw a party last night. I was with my family visiting my grandma. She's in a home."

"If what you are saying is true, then why would her mother think that she was at a party at your place?"

"I-I-I don't know."

"You must have an idea," Kate egged.

"When we were younger we use to say we were staying at each others house when we were sneaking out to a party or to meet a boy our parents wouldn't approve of." She became quiet.

"Had Jessica mentioned anyone she was seeing?"

"No, she wasn't seeing anyone that I knew of. You don't think thats what happened do you. I mean we're 25 now I don't think it would really matter anymore," she rambled on. Kate left only answer the knock on the door. It was Esposito confirming Amy's alibi.

"Ms. Smith your alibi checks out you're free to go. If you can remember anything that might help please call me," Kate said handing her her card. They quickly pointed her in the direction of the elevator, which Amy wasted no time getting to.

"Ryan, Esposito," Kate barked, "Go back to that alley and look for any evidence that shows someone else was there." She sat down and put her head in her hands for a moment. The precinct was quiet, "Why aren't you going?"

"Uh Beckett," Rick said directing her vision towards the window. The sky had long sinced turned dark aand the wind rattled the windows of the now mainly emptied precinct floor. "In the morning," she conceded. Ryan and Esposito quickly gathered their coats and hurried to meet their ladies.

"Come on Beckett," Rick said grabbing her jacket off the back of her chair. Slowly she stood and let Rick help her into her jacket.

"Where are we going?"

"Casa de Castle," they both chuckled lightly at that name, "Alexis said dinner is almost finished.

"Oh no Castle, I wouldn't want to intrude."

"Don't be silly, its spaghetti night and there is always more than enough to go around. You might even be sent home with leftovers if you're not careful."

Kate was quiet for a moment internally debating but eventually her hunger and logical side telling her she wasn't going to be doing anything tonight anyway won out, "All right. Lets hurry though looks like it might snow."


	2. But The Fire Is So Delightful

**Thank you to all of you who reviewed, alerted and put my story in your favorites.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or the song Let It Snow, if I did I don't think that I would be worried about paying for school.**

They were both thrilled to be out of the cold and the closer they got to Castle's door the better they could smell the food that was waiting for them. Rick burst through the door loudly while Kate followed him in at a normal pace and sound.

"Hello darlings," Martha greeted them.

"Dad, Detective Beckett," Alexis came out of the kitchen to greet them.

"Hello Martha, Alexis," Kate greeted while Rick hung her jacket up in the closet, "you can call me Kate too, Alexis."

"You're under the mistletoe, by they way," Alexis told them. Their eyes shot up and sure enough they were right under it.

"Castle!"

"It wasn't me! Alexis picks where it goes."

"You have to kiss," Martha said.

"Its tradition," Alexis said smiling.

Rick shot his mother and daughter a look before looking at Kate. She was trying not to look at him or the other occupants of the room. Not wanting to keep Kate feeling anxious he quickly placed a light kiss on her lips.

"Boo," Alexis said making her way back to the kitchen.

"That may have been the mildest mistletoe kiss I've ever seen or been apart of," Martha said leaving to make the adults drinks.

Kate finally had a chance to look around at the decorations that adorned the Castle's apartment. There seemed to be Christmas everywhere. There were wreaths where paintings use to hang, Poinsettias were now the flower that decorated tables, lights lined the windows, and were twisted with garland wrapping around the banister of the stairs and pillars of the rooms. The stockings were even hanging over the fireplace, that had a roaring fire in it. The only thing missing was the tree.

"No tree?" she questioned.

"Not yet. Alexis and I are going to pick out the perfect one tomorrow."

"You have a real tree?"

"Yep, every year. Now that Alexis is older its nice to have help carrying the tree back." He smiled at his daughter.

"Are you ready for Christmas?" Alexis asked Kate.

"No, she's not." Kate smacked Rick's arm, "OW! What I saw your apartment. You are not ready."

"You should come with us tomorrow," Alexis offered.

"I don't want to intrude on your holiday traditions."

"It wouldn't be an intrusion at all. The more the merrier." She looked between the father-daughter duo, Martha had since excused herself, they were hard to resist when double teaming her.

"I'll think about it." They seemed satisfied with that answer, "Dinner was delicious. Thank you Alexis."

"You're welcome," Alexis said as she began picking up the dishes off the table. There weren't many and with Rick and Kate's help it took no time at all to pick up after dinner. Rick offered Kate some more wine and Alexis made her excuses to leave the presence of the adults. They made their way to sit next to the fire, even though they had both long since gained all of their body heat back and then some. They sat in silence for a few moments.

"Do you not celebrate Christmas because..." his sentence trailed off, "I'm sorry, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Kate was quiet as she contemplated answering his question. She was trying to open up more to Rick willingly. Her therapist said she needed to share willingly as oppose to letting him look for clues. She tried to argue against that saying she did but when he asked for an example she couldn't really find one. Maybe it was her therapist, the wine, or even the chaste kiss from earlier that made her answer.

"No."

"No?" He said puzzled.

"Well, yes and no. I still celebrate Christmas but never with the same flair prior to my mom's death. I give presents and usually either work or visit my dad, depends on if I get Thanksgiving off. A few times we've visited my grandparents but thats generally the most festive we get anymore."

"Oh, Kate."

"It use to be a big to-do. She loved Christmas. Lights on the house, popcorn stringing, homemade cider and cookies, we even went caroling. Every year."

"It sounds like a wonderful Christmas."

"It was and we'd go ice skating at Rockefeller Center and get hot chocolate afterwards." Rick watched and listened earnestly as Kate told him about her Christmas traditions. The smile growing on her face with each memory.

"Its settled then, you're coming with us tomorrow to pick out a tree," he declared.

"Castle-"

"No, there will be no fighting this. You. Are. Coming. You just had the biggest smile on your face I think I have every seen. You need the Christmas spirit back in your life."

"And you're going to be the one who puts it back?"

"You bet." He said grinning.

"You know you can't make me come, right?"

"I declared it." She just rolled her eyes to that response.

"There is a murder to solve, remember?"

"Yes, but-"

"And you know how important the first 24 hours are."

"Yes, but Ryan and Esposito will be at the crime scene in the morning."

"We still need to go to the vic's home."

"And that can't wait till 10?" Rick adopted his 'puppy dog' face to try to help coerce Kate and she would never tell that it worked.

"Its pretty late I should get going." They made their way to the door. Again Rick helped her with he jacket. His hands lingering on her shoulders before slowly running them down her arms and coming back to his side. She slowly turned and looked at him, "What time should I be here in the morning?"

A wide smile broke out on Rick's face, "7:30."

"Alright, see you at 7:30."

**In my mind I see Castle as someone who really goes all out for basically any big holiday and very traditional when it comes to Thanksgiving and Christmas.**

**I hope that everyone celebrating Thanksgiving this week has had a safe and wonderful time and those who aren't just had a wonderful week.**

**Reviews are amazing.**


End file.
